Cactus Curiosity and Innovative Solutions to Old Petro-Problems

When I started college in the Fall of 2017, I was the type of environmental sustainability student who came into my classes thinking the world of oil and gas was entirely evil and the only way to save the planet was to destroy the biggest polluting corporations and replace them with renewable energy sources. Now, I still believe there should be a much larger investment in methods such as wind and solar energy and a very drastic decrease on fossil fuel reliance, but moderate professors and informative books and classes have all combined to help me realize just how dependent we as humans are on fossil fuels and quite notably how they are not going away anytime soon. Learning about the materials economy and the story of our products all the way from extraction of materials to disposal of items helped me see our consumer society and the things we buy in an entirely new light.

From children’s toys to toothbrushes, everywhere we turn there seems to be another product made from petroleum-based plastic. These items come from a lengthy process of land destruction, carbon emissions, and are often never disposed of in a way which benefits the planet. Instead, products are created without having the disposal step of the materials economy in mind at all. This leads to polluted creeks, rivers, and lakes, and ends up all the way into the very depths of our oceans. In a recent example, divers working on an ocean clean-up off the coast of Bulcock Beach in Queensland, Australia found an old plastic KFC bag from the 1970s floating in the water in June of this year. There is hope, however. In fact, a scientist in Mexico is already making big waves to fight this pesky plastic problem.

Sandra Pascoe Ortiz is a research professor at the University of Valle de Atemajac in Zapopan, Mexico. Herself and other researchers of her university and collaborators from the University of Guadalajara were inspired by attending a science fair of industrial engineering students who were looking at creating plastic from cactus plants. After reading more about plant-based plastics in various publications, Ortiz decided to make the project more formal. With the goal of creating a non-toxic, biodegradable polymer, Ortiz settled on the juice from the nopal cactus, also known as the prickly pear cactus, combined with other all-natural substances to achieve this plastic. The material breaks down after several days in water and just takes a month to dissolve when left in soil. It is also harmless to animals and humans if ever ingested. While these non-plastic plastic bags are still only a reality in the science lab, Ortiz is already speaking with a number of companies about “scaling up” the project to provide a thoughtful solution to everyday issues.

This researcher is one of many inspiring individuals working to make the planet and cleaner, more sustainable place. While I am certain fossil fuels will forever be a step in the manufacturing of new goods—at least for the rest of my life here on planet Earth—I am equally happy to know there will continuously be innovative people with new, curious ideas consistently creating environmentally-conscious products that keep the future of people and planet in mind.

Sources and Additional Readings:

Leonard, Annie, and Ariane Conrad. The Story of Stuff: the Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health – and How We Can Make It Better. Free Press, 2011.

OERB. “Petro Pete’s Adventures.” OERB, oerbhomeroom.com/ebooks/.

Snowden, Scott. “Scientist In Mexico Creates Biodegradable Plastic From Prickly Pear Cactus.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 July 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/scottsnowden/2019/07/14/scientist-in-mexico-creates-biodegradable-plastic-from-prickly-pear-cactus/#496864036c49.

Story of Stuff, director. Where Your Recycled Plastic Ends Up. YouTube, The Story of Stuff Project, 21 Apr. 2019, www.youtu.be/urFZ5o0az_4.

Zaczek , Zoe. “’Pretty Mind-Blowing’: KFC Plastic Bag from the 1970s Is Found during a Cleanup of the Ocean Floor.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 13 June 2019, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7135401/Pretty-mind-blowing-KFC-plastic-bag-1970s-clean-ocean-floor.html.

Zou, Jie Jenny. “Pipeline to the Classroom: How Big Oil Promotes Fossil Fuels to America’s Children.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 June 2017, http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/15/big-oil-classrooms-pipeline-oklahoma-education.

Brooke Foster is a junior Environmental Sustainability and International Studies student. She is interested in research on urban political ecology and environmental justice.